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Halal-only Menus
 RESIDENTS across Harrow have vented their anger about proposals to have Halal-only menus in primary schools in the borough.  Meat is meat. What does it matter how it’s killed? These stupid parents should find other things to whine about. Halal meat is more hygienically processed anyway.The newspaper revealed exclusively how Harrow Council has employed a catering company to only prepare Halal meat – to serve youngsters in Harrow. This is nothing new to my knowledge, Tower Hamlets council been doing Halal meat in schools for at least 3 years or more.
 
The Halal slaughter method (along with Shechita which is the name for pretty much the same method used by Jews) is not cruel at all. When the animal's throat is slit, it results in a massive drop in blood pressure causing pretty much instantaneous unconsciousness. As long as the cut is performed correctly the animal will feel a mere instant of pain compared to the intense suffering they can go through in abattoir's with the "normal" slaughter method. The link that has been made between this story and Britain becoming an Islamic State is a bit extreme. The majority of British people are atheist. But it doesn't mean we can't try and make life easier and better for people of all faiths and cultures. All children should be offered a choice. That way Muslims can eat what they want and non-Muslims can eat what they want.

The Muslim community has been passing through a phase of fourth Crusades. The battleground is the field of education, where the young generation will be educated properly with the Holly Quran in one hand and Sciences in other hand to serve humanity. A true Muslim is a citizen of the world, which has become a small global village. We are going to prepare our youth to achieve that objective in the long run. A true Muslim believes in Prophet Moses and the Prophet Jesus and without them one cannot be a Muslim. My suggestion is that in all state, independent and Christian based school special attention should be given to the teaching of Comparative Religion and Islam should be taught by qualified Muslim Teachers to make the children aware the closeness of Islam to Christianity and Judaism which will help them to think about Islam, as “A Pragmatic and Modern Way of Life,” during their life time.  Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be opted out as Muslim Academies.

Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. The problem is that they learn English in the streets and in the playgrounds. British schooling does not teach English to migrant children. The teachers let them speak the same accent in the classroom. They have no courage to stop them or correct them. This is one of the main reasons why one third of children have difficulties with reading when they leave primary schools. Majority of such children are bilingual Muslims. They often speak "street" with its own grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. In other European countries and in the sub-continent argot and slang are not allowed into the classrooms. In Britain primary school teachers do not feel that it's role to interfere with self-expression in any shape or form. They encourage children to read poems and stories written in ethnic dialects.

There are couples of state schools in Harrow where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be opted out as Muslim Academies so that non-Muslim children could enjoy their own meals in their own schools.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

[08:30am 09.30am]

Insha-Allah, Eid ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, 10 September 2010.

Eid ul-Fitr prayer will be held at

       08:30am
         09.30am

Praying facilities are available for sisters in the second jammah.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam.

Aslam Alaikum

Just to up update you on totals: New Masjid Donations.

Target: £500,000.00
Total so far: £390,746.00
Today Raised at Jummah Salat: £1941.00
Date: 03.09.2010

Just £10.00 a week will easily get us to our target inshallah.

PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY JAZAK ALLAH

W salam

Rizwan A Chohan rizz@talktalk.net  Mobile 07772 524426

AS.

How about hosting family fundays in school halls where there are lots of stalls selling things and some or all money goes towards the new masjid.

Or weekey car boot sales. People in the community can donate second hand and good quality old items which they no longer need on a weekly basis which will be sold at the boot fair.

We can ask companys to donate things e.g. books/ products, which can be auctioned off and all money goes towards the new masjid.

Weekly or monthy talks in the current masjid with food being sold.

WS

[Date:]

Date:  12th September 2010
Time:   3pm - 7pm
Special Guest speakers:
             Hamza Andreas Tzortzis - www.hamzatzortzis.com
             New Masjid presentation by Catalyst Regeneration Ltd - www.catalystr.com
Venue:
             Rainham School For Girls
             Derwent Way, Gillingham
             ME8 0BX
Activities:
             Henna Artists
             Bouncy Castle for Kids
             Books & Islamic Clothes & Cake Stalls
             Free Food
Organised by Kent Muslim Welfare Association   Mob: 07971 462 568   www.kmwa.org.uk

Free Our Schools
Almost all children now believe they go to school to pass exams. The idea that they may be there for an education is irrelevant. State schools have become exam factories, interested only in A to C Grades. They do not educate children.  Exam results do not reflect a candidate’s innate ability. Employers have moaned for years that too many employees cannot read or write properly. According to a survey, school-leavers and even graduates lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. More and more companies are having to provide remedial training to new staff, who can’t write clear instructions, do simple maths, or solve problems. Both graduates and school-leavers were also criticised for their sloppy time-keeping, ignorance of basic customer service and lack of self-discipline.                     
 
Bilingual Muslims children have a right, as much as any other faith group, to be taught their culture, languages and faith alongside a mainstream curriculum. More faith schools will be opened under sweeping reforms of the education system in England. There is a dire need for the growth of state funded Muslim schools to meet the growing needs and demands of the Muslim parents and children.  Now the time has come that parents and community should take over the running of their local schools. Parent-run schools will give the diversity, the choice and the competition that the wealthy have in the private sector. Parents can perform a better job than the Local Authority because parents have a genuine vested interest. The Local Authority simply cannot be trusted.

The British Government is planning to make it easier to schools to “opt out” from the Local Authorities. Muslim children in state schools feel isolated and confused about who they are. This can cause dissatisfaction and lead them into criminality, and the lack of a true understanding of Islam can ultimately make them more susceptible to the teachings of fundamentalists like Christians during the middle ages and Jews in recent times in Palestine. Fundamentalism is nothing to do with Islam and Muslim; you are either a Muslim or a non-Muslim.

 There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This mean the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries.  Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands.

None of the British Muslims convicted following the riots in Bradford and Oldham in 2001 or any of those linked to the London bombings had been to Islamic schools. An American Think Tank studied the educational back ground of 300 Jihadists; none of them were educated in Pakistani Madrasas. They were all Western educated by non-Muslim teachers. Bilingual Muslim children need bilingual Muslim teachers as role models.  A Cambridge University study found that single-sex classes could make a big difference for boys. They perform better in single-sex classes. The research is promising because male students in the study saw noticeable gains in the grades. The study confirms the Islamic notion that academic achievement is better in single-sex classes.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam.

Aslam Alaikum

Just to up update you on totals: New Masjid Donations.

Target: £500,000.00
Total so far: £388,805.00
Today Raised at Jummah Salat: £4784.00
Date: 27.08.2010

Just £10.00 a week will easily get us to our target inshallah.

PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY JAZAK ALLAH

W salam

Rizwan A Chohan rizz@talktalk.net  Mobile 07772 524426

Aboo Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said:

Allaah has angels that go from place to place searching for people of the remembrance of Allaah. So when they find a particular people mentioning Allaah, they call out (to other angels), “Come here to your objective.” They then envelope them (the people) with their wings reaching up to the sky; Their Lord asks them, yet He is more knowing than they are, “What are My servants saying?” The angels reply, “They are glorifying you (saying: SubhaanAllaah), declaring Your greatness (saying: Allaahu Akbar), praising You (saying: al-Hamdulillaah), and exalting You.” He asks, “Have they seen Me?” They reply, “No, by Allaah, they have not seen You.” He asks, “And what if they saw Me?” The angels reply, “If they saw You, they would be even stronger in worshipping You, stronger in glorifying and praising You, and they would exalt You even more.” Allaah further asks, “So what are they asking of Me?” They reply, “They are asking You for Paradise.” He asks, “And have they seen it?” “No, by Allaah, oh Lord, they have not seen it.” Allaah asks, “What if indeed they do see it?” The angels answer, “If indeed they did see it, they would be even more eager for it, even stronger in seeking it, and their desire for it would greatly increase.” Allaah then asks, “So from what are they seeking protection?” “From the Fire,” the angels reply. Allaah again asks, “And have they seen it?” They answer, “No, by Allaah, oh Lord, they have not seen it.” He says, “And what if they saw it?” They answer, “If they saw it, they would be even stronger in fleeing from it, and fear it much more.” Allaah then says, “I call you all to witness that I have forgiven them.” One of the angels says, “There is a person not from among them; he only came for some need.” He says, “They are all sitting together and because of them, their companions will not be saddened.”

Imam Muslim also recorded a Hadeeth from Mu’aawiyah (
) that the Prophet () once came upon a group of his companions sitting together in the mosque, so he asked them:

“What has caused you to sit?”

They replied, “We have sat to remember and mention Allaah, and praise and thank Him for guiding us to Islaam and bestowing the blessing of it upon us.” He (saw) further asked:“By Allaah, you sat for no other reason than that?”

They said, “By Allaah, that is the only reason we have sat together.”

The Prophet (saw) said: “As for me, I did not ask you to swear because I was accusing you of anything. Rather, Jibreel (the angel Gabriel) came to me and informed me that Allaah (swt) is boasting about you to the angels.”

So Allaah’s Messenger (saw) mentions that the reward for those who sit in the mosque to study the book of Allaah is of four types:

1. Tranquility descending upon them. Also, al-Baraa Ibn ‘Aazib (ra) narrated a Hadeeth in which he said:

A man was once reading Soorah al-Kahf (no. 18) while he was with his horse. A cloud then covered him and began to encircle and draw closer so much that his horse fled from it. The next morning, he went to the Prophet (saw) and told him about that to which he (saw) said:

“That was the tranquility descending because of (the recitation of) the Qur’aan.”

Aboo Sa’eed (
) also narrated that Usayd Ibn Hudhayr (ra) was reciting one night and his horse came to him. He kept reading and then another horse came and then another. He then stopped reciting and said, “I was afraid they would trample upon Yahyaa (his son).” So he went to them and noticed a shade over his head with what appeared to be like lamps in it. It began to ascend up into the sky until he could no longer see it. The next morning he mentioned it to the Prophet () who replied:

“That was the angels listening to you. If you would have kept reciting, the people would have been able to see that which was concealed from them.”

2. They will be covered with mercy. Allaah (swt) says:  “Indeed, the mercy of Allaah is near to the good-doers.”

3. The angels will envelope them. This is mentioned in the Hadeeth at hand

4. Allaah will mention them to those (angels) who are with Him. Aboo Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said:

Allaah (swt) says, “I am as my servant thinks of Me. And I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself, and if he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in an even better gathering (i.e. the angels).”

These four virtues are for any group of people who gather to mention and remember Allaah (swt) just as the Hadeeth in “Saheeh Muslim” states in which Aboo Hurayrah and Aboo Sa’eed both narrate that the Prophet (saw) said  “No people sit and mention Allaah (swt) except that the angels surround them, mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allaah will mention them to those (angels) who are with Him.”

Allaah Himself also says:

As for Allaah remembering and mentioning His servant, it is His praise of him among the highest gathering of angels, boasting of them and commending them. He (swt)) also says: “Oh you who believe, remember Allaah with much remembrance. And exalt Him morning and afternoon. It is He who praises you as well as the angels that He may take you out of the darkness into light.” [Soorah al-Ahzaab, 33:41-43

Halal-only Menus
 RESIDENTS across Harrow have vented their anger about proposals to have Halal-only menus in primary schools in the borough.  Meat is meat. What does it matter how it’s killed? These stupid parents should find other things to whine about. Halal meat is more hygienically processed anyway.The newspaper revealed exclusively how Harrow Council has employed a catering company to only prepare Halal meat – to serve youngsters in Harrow. This is nothing new to my knowledge, Tower Hamlets council been doing Halal meat in schools for at least 3 years or more.
 
The Halal slaughter method (along with Shechita which is the name for pretty much the same method used by Jews) is not cruel at all. When the animal's throat is slit, it results in a massive drop in blood pressure causing pretty much instantaneous unconsciousness. As long as the cut is performed correctly the animal will feel a mere instant of pain compared to the intense suffering they can go through in abattoir's with the "normal" slaughter method. The link that has been made between this story and Britain becoming an Islamic State is a bit extreme. The majority of British people are atheist. But it doesn't mean we can't try and make life easier and better for people of all faiths and cultures. All children should be offered a choice. That way Muslims can eat what they want and non-Muslims can eat what they want.

The Muslim community has been passing through a phase of fourth Crusades. The battleground is the field of education, where the young generation will be educated properly with the Holly Quran in one hand and Sciences in other hand to serve humanity. A true Muslim is a citizen of the world, which has become a small global village. We are going to prepare our youth to achieve that objective in the long run. A true Muslim believes in Prophet Moses and the Prophet Jesus and without them one cannot be a Muslim. My suggestion is that in all state, independent and Christian based school special attention should be given to the teaching of Comparative Religion and Islam should be taught by qualified Muslim Teachers to make the children aware the closeness of Islam to Christianity and Judaism which will help them to think about Islam, as “A Pragmatic and Modern Way of Life,” during their life time.  Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be opted out as Muslim Academies.

Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. The problem is that they learn English in the streets and in the playgrounds. British schooling does not teach English to migrant children. The teachers let them speak the same accent in the classroom. They have no courage to stop them or correct them. This is one of the main reasons why one third of children have difficulties with reading when they leave primary schools. Majority of such children are bilingual Muslims. They often speak "street" with its own grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. In other European countries and in the sub-continent argot and slang are not allowed into the classrooms. In Britain primary school teachers do not feel that it's role to interfere with self-expression in any shape or form. They encourage children to read poems and stories written in ethnic dialects.

There are couples of state schools in Harrow where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be opted out as Muslim Academies so that non-Muslim children could enjoy their own meals in their own schools.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam.

Aslam Alaikum

Just to up update you on totals: New Masjid Donations.

Target: £500,000.00
Total so far: £384,021.00
Today Raised at Jummah Salat: £1813.00
Date: 20.08.2010

Just £10.00 a week will easily get us to our target inshallah.

PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY JAZAK ALLAH

W salam

Rizwan A Chohan rizz@talktalk.net  Mobile 07772 524426